Protect Punjabis held in Kuwait: Badal to Sushma

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday called up external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to ask her to ensure the safety and security of the Punjabis who are in the Kuwaiti police custody since a brawl in the Arab country on Thursday.

A spokesperson of the chief minister's office (CMO) said Badal had make Swaraj aware of the inputs suggesting that the detained Punjabis were under extreme mental pressure and hoping that the union government would use the diplomatic channels to save them from any harm in Kuwait.

Badal assured the families of the arrested Punjabis of all support from the state government. Swaraj assured Badal that she would keep tabs on the situation and that she had directed the external affairs secretary for the Gulf to remain in touch with the Kuwait foreign ministry over the matter.